Modi warns absentee BJP MPs of consequences (Lead)

New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reportedly warned BJP MPs who don’t attend Parliament that they may not get to contest the next Lok Sabha polls if they persist with the habit.

Addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s parliamentary party meeting here, Modi also praised Amit Shah on completing three years as the BJP President and on being elected to the Rajya Sabha, saying he had brought back the culture of hard work known in the Jan Sangh days.

Informed sources said Modi told the meeting that the party was bigger than any individual and asked why MPs should be reminded about the need to attend Parliament.

According to sources, Modi said there should not be any need to issue whips to ensure their attendance.

“What are you and me? The party is everything… You do what you want to, I will see in 2019,” Modi was quoted as saying, in apparent hints that they may be denied nomination in the next election.

Modi also reminded the members that Amit Shah will be in Parliament now and they should be regular in attending the sittings.

It was the first meeting of the BJP parliamentary party attended by Shah after being elected from Gujarat to the Rajya Sabha.

The BJP is the successor to the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, which merged into the Janata Party in 1977. The BJP was formed in 1980.

Modi said it was easy to run a political party while being in the opposition but relatively difficult when it was in power.

He urged the BJP MPs to work for the success of “Tiranga Yatra” (August 9-15) and “Sankalp Yatra” (August 15-30).

Stressing that the freedom movement from 1942 to 1947 was decisive in ending British rule, Modi said a similar effort had to be made in the next five years to take India to new heights by 2022, the 75th anniversary of the country’s Independence.